Iiffletree-hook



(No Model.)

A. D. LODGE.

WHIPPLETREE HOOK.

No. 597,008. Patented Jan. 11, 1898.

ms msms wzrcas co. wormjnm, wnsmxswa n c UNITED STATES ADDISON D. LODGE,OF VANDALIA, OHIO.

WHIFFLETREE-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,008, dated January11, 1898. Application filed May 22,1897. Serial No. 637,711. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

to it known that I, ADDISON D. Loren, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Vandalia, Montgomery county, State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful improvements in W'hiffietree-Hooks; andmy preferred manner of carrying out the invention is set forth in thefollowing full, clear, and exact description, terminating with claimsparticularly specifying the novelty.

This invention relates to carriages and wagons, and more especially tothe whii'fletreehooks used thereon for the removable attachment of thetraces; and the object of the same is to produce such a hook adapted forremovable attachment to whiiiletrees of different sizes for adjustmentin its position after attachment and to avoid scratching the paint.

To these ends my invention consists in a whiflietree hook or attachmentconstructed substantially as hereinafter more fully described andclaimed, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein-Figure 1 is a plan view of the right end of a whifiletree with this hookor attachment in position and closed. on the trace, the latter beingshown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the attachmentitself removed from the whiflietree and with the arm thrown back.

In the said drawings the letter W designates one extremity of anordinary whittletree, preferably and usually having a shoulder S on itsrear side near its outer extremity, beyond which it is reduced andpossibly pointed, so as to receive the cockeye of the trace T, as usual.This forms no part of the present invention, but is illustrated in orderto show the application and operation of my invention.

The letter O designates an oval piece of spring-wire having both endsrounded, as shown, and the ends of the wire are preferably connected atone of such rounded ends in the manner shown-that is to say, oneextremity of the wire has aflat eye F and the other is turned upward andpointed, as at P, so that it may pass through the eye F and upward intothe under side of the whiffietree, if desired. However, this is a matterof preference entirely, for the extremities of the wire could besoldered or brazed together or the entire oval could be stamped or cutfrom sheet metal without any extremities to be connected, if desired,without departing from the spirit of my invention. If so made, it willbe obvious that there would be no protruding point P to take into andnecessarily mar the lower side of the whiiiietree. The sides of the ovalare bent upward between its ends, and each side is provided at about itscenter with an eye I, as seen.

The letter A designates the arm of my improved hook. This is alsopreferably made from a single piece of wire of substantially triangularconfiguration, the base extending across the center of the oval andthrough the two eyes Lbetween which it is deflected to the rear orinwardly along the whiffletree in a cam, as at G, and just outside theeyes this wire bends sharply outward into two converging membersextending along above the Whit'fletree and turned down at their outerends. In Fig. l I have shown these downturned ends as making a metallicfootadapted to rest upon a small piece of felt, leather, or othermaterial L, secured upon the whiffletree in proper position to receivethe pressure of the foot and prevent the scratching of the paint; but inFig. 2 I have shown a small foot F, as of leather, rubber, or otherproper material, which might be attached to and carried by thedownturned ends of the wire, so that the provision of the cushion on thewhiiiietree would not be necessary.

\Vith the above construction of parts and their assembly as seen in Fig.2 my improved device is attached to any whifiietree by simply depressingthe ends of the oval until they can be passed under thewhifiletree,while the cross-bar and cam of the arm at the center of theoval passes over such whiftietree, thus causing the spring action of theoval to be exerted to draw said cam downward on the wood of the tree.This naturally'raises the inner or camend of the arm A, and hence forcesits outer end downward, and the result is that the foot F is caused torest upon the reduced outer end of the whiffletree, as shown. Obviouslythe trace is fastened in place by first raising the foot slightly, thenpassing the coclceye over the point of the 2 o I a 597,008

1 firefl and: ithenewleee rs ith iclrcedjandheid dewnanpe 7 o ist on ietheatracefas nin rtatn l ieyegF an t (I point 1 0mm tirely, if desired,and for the. soft foot F at the outer end of the arm a metailicfootcould be used, with or Without the cushion L on the tree, according tothe finish of the latter.

What is claimed as new is- 1. In a Whiffletreehook, the combination withan oval loop of Wire Whose ends stand beneath the Whifiletree and Whosecenter is raised, one extremity of the Wire having a fiat eye at one endof the oval and the other extremity being bent upward and passingthrough such eye; of a hook-shaped arm piv- 5o oted to the raised centerof the oval, and

whifti 'ectin oute 1e set tor eehoek 2 ivyhiiiietre at?" I tiieewiremounted therein with its body standing along above the Whiffiet-ree anditsouter downwardly-bent end normally depressed by the action of thespring, a foot carried by such outer end, and a soft cushion securedupon the tree beneath the foot, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my signature on this the17th day of 95 May, A. D. 1897.

ADDISON D. LODGE.

Vi tn esses FRANK LIPMAN, EDWARD SURRELL.

